As OTAs are about to begin this month, here at LombardiAve we have decided it would be a good time to take a closer look at each position on the Green Bay Packers roster. Over the next few weeks we will break down each position and discuss which players are safe from being cut, which players [...]

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You want two things from your backup(s) according to the Packer philosophy:

One obviously is insurance against the unthinkable. Nobody replaces Rodgers, but hopefully whoever can win - or at least not lose - a solid percentage of games if he is needed to play.

Two is like a cash crop on a farm - you hope you can have the guy rise to a level of being worth something significant in trade BEFORE he "spoils" - is eligible for free agency and you lose him with very little compensation to a team with money and need.

Harrell isn't quite ripe yet, but IMO there is still hope - like Hasselbeck, Flynn, and the others - another quality product from the folks at Packer QB Farm. Thus, I hope they can keep both him and Coleman one way or another this season.

Expressing the Good Normal Views of Good Normal Americans. If Anything I Say Smacks of Extremism, Please Tell Me EXACTLY What.

You want two things from your backup(s) according to the Packer philosophy:

One obviously is insurance against the unthinkable. Nobody replaces Rodgers, but hopefully whoever can win - or at least not lose - a solid percentage of games if he is needed to play.

Two is like a cash crop on a farm - you hope you can have the guy rise to a level of being worth something significant in trade BEFORE he "spoils" - is eligible for free agency and you lose him with very little compensation to a team with money and need.

Harrell isn't quite ripe yet, but IMO there is still hope - like Hasselbeck, Flynn, and the others - another quality product from the folks at Packer QB Farm. Thus, I hope they can keep both him and Coleman one way or another this season.

Harrell is a career backup.

We don't know what Coleman's ceiling is yet. With Mike's QB school, it could be high.

“Winning is not a sometime thing, it is an all the time thing. You don't do things right once in a while…you do them right all the time.”

you hope you can have the guy rise to a level of being worth something significant in trade BEFORE he "spoils" - is eligible for free agency and you lose him with very little compensation to a team with money and need.

Harrell isn't quite ripe yet, but IMO there is still hope ...Thus, I hope they can keep both him and Coleman one way or another this season.

I believe that window is closed on Mr. Harrell. This is the last year of his contract. He will be a RFA but since he was undrafted that doesn't help you much. If you really think he will be something special you would have to sign him to a long term deal this year before he hits free agency, then hope to trade him.

I believe that window is closed on Mr. Harrell. This is the last year of his contract. He will be a RFA but since he was undrafted that doesn't help you much. If you really think he will be something special you would have to sign him to a long term deal this year before he hits free agency, then hope to trade him.

I tend to agree with the other poster, he is a career backup.

If he's an RFA then no big deal. If the Packers want him then he's probably stuck. Like shields (who was/is an RFA). Has Shields signed his deal yet or is he still an RFA? ... anyways no other team was willing to give up a 2nd round pick for Shields and sign him to a deal he would sign so he has resign with the Packers.

As for Harrell, I don't think he has the arm for the NFL. I know the back-up OL he has played with in preseason has been pretty bad, but even still I've seen nothing to say he's a for sure #2 guy or has any physical potential to grow...

Coleman on the other hand, he clearly has the raw physical tools to grow. The question about him is more can he get the mental side down. Which if he gets mentally close to Harrell then Harrell is gone. And I don't think Harrell can grow into something worth trading for.

America's team Of the people by the people for the people Packer People~ madeby ~ pack93z ~

Regarding Harrell, didn't a lot of people say the same about Flynn - career backup/not strong arm? I tend to favor Coleman also - greater potential, however, it's not so much what use can we make of Harrell as what can we get for him in trade? It concerns me more that he will be an RFA, and hence little or no value in trade. That being the case, maybe we should just cut him in preseason and be done with it - and maybe concentrate on Brown as a #3.

Expressing the Good Normal Views of Good Normal Americans. If Anything I Say Smacks of Extremism, Please Tell Me EXACTLY What.

Regarding Harrell, didn't a lot of people say the same about Flynn - career backup/not strong arm?

Yes and so far those people are correct. Flynn hasn't been a starter yet. And the thing is Harrell hasn't even show a quarter of what Flynn showed... Flynn showed a little spark and potential every once in a while. Harrell hasn't shown much of anything.

texaspackerbacker said:

it's not so much what use can we make of Harrell as what can we get for him in trade?

huh? why would a team trade for Harrell? Harrell hasn't show enough to worth a team giving up a pick for him. And the upside hasn't look like it's there. I think teams would be more interested in drafted a 7th round rookie QB with more potential and coaching them up than Harrell.

texaspackerbacker said:

It concerns me more that he will be an RFA, and hence little or no value in trade. That being the case, maybe we should just cut him in preseason and be done with it - and maybe concentrate on Brown as a #3.

RFA is no big deal... 99% of the time if a team wants their RFA than they keep them. See Thompson with not letting Bush get away when he was an RFA and signed with the Titans. Ted Thompson matched it.

As far as Brown.... after the Packers drafted Coleman last year (becoming the 4th QB on the Packers roster at the time) Mike McCarthy said he's got into training camps with 4 or 5 QBs become and he doesn't prefer it because there isn't enough snaps to go around for everyone. And then the Packers cut the FA they picked up from the AFL.

So if they picked up Brown and are going with four this time, I take that as one of the two middle guys could be gone and Brown might be the new practice squad QB.

America's team Of the people by the people for the people Packer People~ madeby ~ pack93z ~

My point was, if Harrell signs with somebody else, it's doubtful the Packers get any compensation. Yeah, they could keep him, but I'm assuming after one more season of improvement for Coleman and maybe Brown, there's no way the Packers would match even a fairly low offer for Harrell.

I actually don't have near the low opinion of Harrell as a lot of people. I think he could step in and do an adequate job for the Packers or some other team, but I'd rather have Coleman holding the clipboard (do they even still do that?)

Expressing the Good Normal Views of Good Normal Americans. If Anything I Say Smacks of Extremism, Please Tell Me EXACTLY What.

My point was, if Harrell signs with somebody else, it's doubtful the Packers get any compensation. Yeah, they could keep him, but I'm assuming after one more season of improvement for Coleman and maybe Brown, there's no way the Packers would match even a fairly low offer for Harrell.

I actually don't have near the low opinion of Harrell as a lot of people. I think he could step in and do an adequate job for the Packers or some other team, but I'd rather have Coleman holding the clipboard (do they even still do that?)

You guys don't get it.

Harrell is the long-term backup. Coleman is the one we develop and trade for a 2 or 3.

“Winning is not a sometime thing, it is an all the time thing. You don't do things right once in a while…you do them right all the time.”

I don't disagree with you about Coleman, just not yet. As for Harrell, much worse QBs than him have started in the NFL, and I don't mean just a game or two. A guy named Dilfer comes to mind. MAYBE he is a career backup, but you say it like it's gospel.

Expressing the Good Normal Views of Good Normal Americans. If Anything I Say Smacks of Extremism, Please Tell Me EXACTLY What.

There'll be an open competition for the #2 quarterback, and I think Coleman has a shot because of the strength of his arm. Noodle armed quarterbacks can only lead stacked teams to wins, not the other way around. So maybe it will come down to Harrell having a cerebral thing for Mike McCarthy choice in backup. The best thing to do is showcase one of them in preseason and hope to sucker some team into giving up a pick in next year's draft.

Emergency quarterbacks can be brought out of retirement, but if Rodgers goes down, our season is FUBAR anyway so why the concern about backups?

There'll be an open competition for the #2 quarterback, and I think Coleman has a shot because of the strength of his arm. Noodle armed quarterbacks can only lead stacked teams to wins, not the other way around. So maybe it will come down to Harrell having a cerebral thing for Mike McCarthy choice in backup. The best thing to do is showcase one of them in preseason and hope to sucker some team into giving up a pick in next year's draft.

Emergency quarterbacks can be brought out of retirement, but if Rodgers goes down, our season is FUBAR anyway so why the concern about backups?

I agree that Coleman probably needs one more year under Mike before we can trade him and get some good value.

However, this IS a stacked team. With these new RBs, we don't NEED a guy who can throw deep all the time. I've actually made the case that a shorter, higher percentage offense might even (believe it or now) be better.

Not saying Harrell is better than Rodgers. It's just that it would force Mike to adhere to fundamentals.

But yes, Harrell's less likely to be picked up than Coleman if released. It seemed to me last preseason that they kind of hid Coleman from public view so other teams wouldn't have film on him.

“Winning is not a sometime thing, it is an all the time thing. You don't do things right once in a while…you do them right all the time.”

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